Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies says that he’s already thinking about potential spinoffs for the long-running British sci-fi series.
Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies already has ideas for potential spinoffs.
“So I thought — with no criticism whatsoever towards the people who were running it at the time, because they were running it within the BBC’s measures — it was time for the next stage for Doctor Who,” Davies said in an interview with GQ. “I thought the streaming platforms are ready, the spin-offs are ready; I always believed in spin-offs when I was there. I did Torchwood as a spin-off, The Sarah Jane Adventures as a spin-off. Those spin-offs declined when I left, and I can see why.”
Davies continued, “And I very much left after 2008, when the money became scarce, I think that’s fair enough for the public service broadcaster that the money is spent on other things.” Doctor Who has had several spinoff television series, including Torchwood, which ran for a total of four seasons between 2006 and 2011, and The Sarah Jane Adventures, which ran from 2007 to 2011.
Doctor Who Welcomes Ncuti Gatwa
Sex Education star Ncuti Gatwa will take over as The Doctor for Season 14, a role held by Jodie Whittaker since 2017. As a new Doctor enters the TARDIS, Davies, who was credited with reviving BBC’s cult, sci-fi drama in 2005, will be taking over as showrunner from Chris Chibnall for the fourteenth season. Davies served as showrunner until Steven Moffat took the reigns in 2009. Already, things are changing for the long-running British sci-fi series, as BBC’s Doctor Who will now have the full-financial backing of Disney. Moreover, Disney will handle all distribution for the series outside of the United Kingdom, as the series will now be available to stream worldwide on Disney+.
In the same interview, Davies stated that the increased budget for Doctor Who was “one of the reason[s] I’ve come back — you can tell stories on a bigger scale.” While Doctor Who won’t be “on the budget level with Star Wars and the Marvel shows,” Davies added that “it’s more than I’ve ever had to work with.” However, another major reason behind his return as showrunner hinges on his ambition for the future of the franchise — and an increased budget helps — drawing inspiration from the Star Trek media empire.
“Partly, it’s simply that I love it and always have loved it. But the world has changed,” Davies said about his decision to come back. “And we’re now in the age of the streamer. I watch the Star Trek empire with vast envy: the way that’s turned itself from an old archive show into something fantastic. The cast is so progressive, so good, so beautiful.”
Doctor Who will be available to stream on Disney+ in late 2023, with new episodes of the series premiering on the BBC that same year.
Source: GQ
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